A strong yearning for liberation propels one towards proper utilization of the body. Shankara says in vivekacUDAmaNi:
दुर्लभं त्रयमेवैतद्देवानुग्रहहेतुकम् ।
मनुष्यत्वं मुमुक्षुत्वं महापुरुषसंश्रयः ॥ — verse 3, vivekacUDAmaNi.
[Meaning: Very rare indeed are these three things and happen only due to the utmost Grace of God—a human birth, a burning desire for liberation, and the blessed refuge of an illuminated sage.]
While a human body is granted without conscious effort, the latter two—aspiration and mentorship—require concerted will. To truly “live,” one must not simply drift toward a natural end dictated by destiny; rather, one must “die” to the ego intentionally before physical death. Shankara thus exhorts us to seek the company of the noble to ignite this internal transformation.
Following this preliminary foundation, the Katha Upanishad imparts the specific methodology for liberation:
अशरीरं शरीरेषु अनवस्थेष्ववस्थितम् ।
महान्तं विभुमात्मानं मत्वा धीरो न शोचति ॥ — mantra 1.2.22, kaTha.
[Meaning: The intelligent one having known the Self to be bodiless in (all) bodies, to be firmly seated in things that are perishable, and to be great and all-pervading, does not grieve. (Trans: V. Panoli).]
A superficial glance at the body reveals only flesh, bone, and biological fluids. A closer investigation uncovers sensory organs, the movement of the life-breath (prANa), and a mind teeming with thoughts. Ordinarily, nothing else is perceived. Yet, the kaTha Upanishad directs us to a startling fact: a “bodiless something” exists precisely within this physical frame. Though imperceptible to the senses, it is a divine power transcending all constituent parts. As the IshAvAsya Upanishad (Mantra 5) declares: “It is within all; It is without all.”
This Reality is not confined to the interior; it is simultaneously internal and external, much like sunlight in a room. While the light fills the room, it is not of the room. It illuminates every object without becoming a structural part of the building. We are immersed in it, yet we cannot “grasp” it. Similarly, this divine presence is the “Subtle” within the “Gross”—the Formless inhabiting the Form.
One cannot claim this is unknown. If a person says, “I do not know the Self,” who is the speaker? Is it the bone? The breath? The thought? As Lord Krishna says at 13.2, Bhagavadgita, there is a fundamental distinction between the kSetra (the field/body) and the kSetrajna (the Knower of the field).
The mind is essentially a flow of thoughts, and a thought is a combination of an image and its illumination. An inert image cannot “speak” or “know.” It is the kSetra. Only the Light of Consciousness that can observe the absence or presence of an image. It is the kSetrajna.
The throb of “I – I” is the illumination. This “I” is currently seated within the “mine” (the body-adjunct). To distinguish the two is as difficult as separating milk from a mixture of milk and water. In Indian tradition, the mythical Swan (Hamsa) possesses the ability to filter milk from water; thus, the seeker must become “Swan-like.” This is why the highest order of renunciates, such as the Sage Suka, are termed Paramahamsa (Supreme Swan).
The kaTha Upanishad asks us in the mantra at 1.2.22 to capture the unchanging ‘I’ from the ever changing ‘mine.’ In other words, grasp the subtle illumination separating It out from the gross body. It suggests the way to be:
तं स्वाच्छरीरात्प्रवृहेन्मुञ्जादिवेषीकां धैर्येण । — mantra 2.6.17, kaTha.
[Meaning: One should draw him out from one’s own body boldly, as a stalk from grass. (Trans: Sitarama Sastri).]
“One should draw Him out from one’s own body… as a stalk from the grass.”
This is echoed by the Sufi saint Mansur al-Hallaj, who compared the task to picking a seed from the intricate fibers of a cotton ball. It requires “dhIratva“—spiritual courage and steady wisdom.
The “I” is the Knower (the Universal), while the particulars are the “known.” The known is shifting and manifold; the Knower is One and ever steady.
We normally take ‘I’ to be linked to the body. That is not the ‘I’ to be realized. That is to say that the seeker should constantly bear in mind that “I am not the body.” The seeker must see the ‘I’ to be unlimited and not confined to the body. That is the true “Seeing.”
The internal body parts of ours, say the muscles and bones, do not go out and establish a relation with the muscles and bones of the people around. Unless the ‘Knowing element’ within us comes out and illuminates all that is outside, there is no way we would have known the things or the people external to us. It’s the Knowledge from within that comes out and notices not only our own body but also the bodies of all others and the inanimate things.
If sunlight remained restricted to the sun, the world would be shrouded in eternal darkness. Likewise, if the Light of Knowledge did not pervade the senses, nothing would be known. The kaTha mantra concludes that this Knowledge is not only great (mahAntam) but all-pervading (vibhum).
Ultimately, to maintain Non-duality (Advaita), we must move beyond the duality of “Light” and “Object.” The seeker must realize that the objects perceived are, in essence, nothing other than the Illumination itself.
When the illuminating light remains as it is, it is simply Illumination. However, when it assumes the “shape” of objects, we perceive various forms. In truth, what we see is entirely Light, appearing as the multiplicity of the world. Through this contemplation, we understand that Knowledge and the “Known” are non-different. The Self must be grasped by the mind through this specific mode of inquiry.
Once this is realized, it becomes evident that the Self is present in all bodies, as the kaTha Upanishad (1.3.12) declares:
एष सर्वेषु भूतेषु गूढोऽत्मा न प्रकाशते ।
दृश्यते त्वग्न्यया बुद्ध्या सूक्ष्मया सूक्ष्मदर्शिभिः ॥ — mantra 1.3.12, kaTha.
[Meaning: This Self hidden in all beings does not shine. But by seers of subtle and pointed intellect capable of perceiving subtle objects, It is seen.]
When the seeker realizes that their own Knowledge pervades the entire world, they witness the Self shining in everything. Without this shift in vision, the Self remains hidden, and one remains bound to the miseries of the world.
The reason many fail to find the Self is due to a fundamental impediment in our biological design. The Upanishad reveals this obstruction:
पराञ्चि खानि व्यतृणत्स्वयम्भूस्तस्मात्पराङ् पश्यति नान्तरात्मन् ।
कश्चिद्धीरः प्रत्यगात्मानमैक्षदावृत्तचक्षुरमृतत्वमिच्छन् ॥ — mantra 2.4.1, kaTha.
[Meaning: The self-existent damned the out-going senses. Therefore, one sees externally and not the internal Self. Someone (who is) intelligent, with his eyes turned away, desirous of immortality, sees the inner Self. (Trans: V. Panoli).]
By birth, our sensory apparatus is oriented toward external objects. The eyes see the world, the ears catch external vibrations, and the nose and tongue seek flavors from without. Commenting on this, Shankara observes that while this “outwardness” is the nature of the world, the discerning individual seeks the pratyagAtman—the inner Spirit. This Atman, according to the Smritis, is that which pervades, absorbs, and sustains the continuous existence of the universe.
Our conventional thinking is often confined to the narrow limits of “me and mine”—family, friends, and personal belongings. In contrast, the IshAvAsya Upanishad (Mantra 1) exhorts us to perceive the entire universe as saturated by the Supreme:
ईशा वास्यमिदं सर्वं यत्किं च जगत्यां जगत् ।
तेन त्यक्तेन भुञ्जीथा मा गृधः कस्य स्विद्धनम् ॥ — mantra 1, IshAvAsya.
[Meaning: All this should be covered by the Lord, whatsoever moves on the earth. By such a renunciation protect (thyself). Covet not the wealth of others.]
Only a rare individual—perhaps one in a million—possesses the spiritual courage to reverse this outward momentum. If an inward look feels impossible, the seeker must revisit their resolve for liberation. For the supremely eligible seeker, however, a flash of realization eventually dawns. Like a sudden bolt of lightning, this insight cuts through the darkness of ignorance, and the Self shines forth in its own brilliant, unborrowed glory.
(To Continue … Part – 13 (kaTha 4)